


All I Want for Christmas Is You

by Syphus



Series: All I Want For Christmas Is You [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas, Dating, Fluff, Hallmark movie level angst, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies, M/M, Mild Cursing, Not a Harem, guess the end ship, i realize it looks like that but only one ship will win, it's really obvious, this is the gay Hallmark movie I always wanted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:15:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28162260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syphus/pseuds/Syphus
Summary: Corpse is a big city radio host visiting home for the holiday season. His friends just want to see him happy. That means setting up Corpse with a new date every day until the ugly sweater party on Christmas Day, right?Seven days, seven dates. It sounds easy enough - if only the dates would stop going wrong!
Relationships: Corpse Husband/Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Corpse Husband/BrookeAB (Video Blogging RPF), Corpse Husband/Fuslie/Edison Park, Corpse Husband/Jeremy Wang, Corpse Husband/Lilypichu (Video Blogging RPF), Corpse Husband/Pokimane (Video Blogging RPF), Corpse Husband/Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF), Corpse Husband/Valkyrae (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: All I Want For Christmas Is You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2079138
Comments: 93
Kudos: 476





	1. Oh, I don't want a lot for Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome to my Seven Day Advent Calendar!
> 
> Yes, there is a final ship in mind :) No, it isn't one big polyamorous love fest :(
> 
> One chapter will be posted every day until the finale on Christmas Day! Happy holidays, and I love you all.
> 
> (This is fiction based on real people. Ship privately. Do not link this to the people mentioned or force the ship on them. This is just for fun and if either person says they are uncomfortable with this type of work, the fic will be taken down immediately.)

Corpse stood at the airport departure terminal alone. His duffel bag sat on the concrete beside him as people busied themselves by loading their cars with luggage and presents. The air was just this side of freezing, but the sky hadn’t released its promise of snow yet. He was grateful for his thick, wool coat and the mask keeping his face warm. His phone was shoved between his ear and scarf so he could keep his bare hands in his pockets. It was awkward, but it worked.

“I’ve got your flight booked for the morning of the 26th, so you can be back in time for the Christmas special. Don’t forget the party on New Year’s Eve, and you’re guesting with Radio 69.6 on New Year’s Day, so don’t fuck up your voice. Are you getting all this?”

Corpse grunted into his phone in confirmation. “Yes sir, Dream sir.”

“It’s not ‘Dream’ anymore to you, we’re friends! I’ll call you again in a few days to remind you and bring you up to speed with everything going on here, and of course we’ll talk more when you get back. You’re sure you don’t want to come home now? I’m looking at flights, I can get you back here in time for the evening show.”

“I’m sure, Dream. And don’t bother calling, I won’t answer.” A dark blue van pulled up in front of him, honking for cars to move out of its way. Corpse picked up his duffel bag with one hand and grabbed the phone with the other.

“I told you, it’s not Dream! I’m your friend now, you can call m-” Corpse hung up.

The door to the van slid open and Rae catapulted herself out of the car and into Corpse’s arms.

“Corpse, you made it!” She squealed with delight as she strangled him in a hug. “How was your flight? Are you hungry? Toast’s driving is terrifying, please god take over.”

“Hello to you too, Rae. I’m certain he isn’t that bad.”

Toast leaned over to yell at them from the driver’s seat. “Get in, losers! It’s cold and I need a Christmas tree.”

Corpse and Rae laughed, but followed his instructions.

Bundled in the backseat car with the heater on full blast, Corpse was fully exposed to Rae’s volley of questions.

“How’s the radio show?”

“Fine.”

“Are you eating well? Are you hungry? Toast can drop by McDonald’s on the way home.”

“Yes, no, and he doesn’t have to.”

“Damn right, I don’t have to.”

“You’re keeping up with your appointments, right? Taking your meds on time, being honest with your therapist-”

_ “Yes, _ Rae. Thank you for asking.”

“Most importantly,” Rae twisted in her seat to grin at him, “are you still single?”

Corpse raised a brow at her. “Why is that the most important?”

“Be _ cause,  _ these things are essential to a healthy, growing boy! You are only one of those, so I have to keep tabs.”

“Do I want to know which one I am? Uh- doesn’t matter. Yes.”

Rae sighed and flopped back to look at Toast. “He’s still single. We  _ have _ to fix this. Or at least attempt to.”

“And what do you expect me to do about it?” Toast said with a wave of his hand, dismissing her. The girl pouted as she looked out the window at the tiny town’s excessive lights and decor. Corpse could practically see the gears turning in her head, but didn’t want to be the one to shift them in the right direction. He’d grown up with her in school, before he dropped out to become a musician, and he knew how manipulative she could be once she set her mind to it. Never in a bad way, but she knew how to get what she wanted. Toast pulled into their neighborhood.

“I’ve got it!” Rae clapped with glee. “There’s seven days left until Christmas and the ugly sweater party, right? That’s seven days to find you a girlfriend.”

“Uh…” The van parked in front of a small house covered in rainbow lights.

“I’ll just set you up on a date for each day of the week until you find someone to take with you to the party!”

Toast and Corpse stared at her, expressions blank and dismayed, respectively.

“Rae, I dunno if that’s such a good idea-”

“I think it’s a  _ great _ idea,” Toast interjected with a smile. Corpse spluttered in response. “And I know the  _ perfect  _ thing to do for your first date.”

“And  _ I _ know the perfect person!”

Corpse groaned and let his face smack against the window.

* * *

Rows and rows of bright green pine trees stood tall and straight ahead of him. The ground was damp and the air was still freezing while overhead the clouds hung heavy and grey. Corpse rubbed his hands together, having forgotten to grab gloves from his bag before Toast shipped him off for an impromptu date.

_ “I need a Christmas tree, Rae wants you to go on a date. It’s a win-win situation! Try to have fun and, more importantly, don’t buy a shitty tree.” _

He’d at least been allowed to take the van so he could leave if the date went south, as it inevitably would. A car pulled up next to his and he turned around to greet the person. Rae hadn’t actually told him who he’d be meeting, just that she was nice and pretty and liked video games. So, generic gamer girl. The girl who stepped out had long brown hair, tanned skin, and a bright blue coat with matching gloves and earmuffs. She smiled at Corpse before locking her door and heading towards him.

“Hi! Um, I’m Imane! Or Poki, I don't know which name Rae gave you.”

“Hey, my name’s Corpse. Not a- not a handle, just a name. Rae didn’t say anything about you, so…”

“Oh! Well, we can start with a blank slate then.” She smiled and took his hand gently and they strolled together into the man-made forest.

Corpse looked around at the trees, attempting to fulfill Toast’s request and ignore the awkward silence.

Poki led the conversation.

“So, what do you do for work?”

“Huh? Oh, I’m a radio show host. My voice kind of lends itself to the field.”

“That’s so cool! What station? I only listen to pop, so that’s probably why I haven’t heard you.” She reached out and brushed one of the branches as they passed.

“You probably haven’t heard of it. It’s an L.A. station.”

“Do you live there then? Must be a pretty big leap to come out here to Cottonwood.”

“Not really, I grew up here with Rae and only moved to the city after I dropped out of school. I-” Corpse stopped himself and blushed under his mask. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to only talk about myself. What do you do? For like, work. Or hobbies, I guess.”

Poki giggled. “It’s okay! I’m in my last year of college for chemical engineering. I work at a bakery in town on the side, which is pretty fun.”

Corpse stopped in front of a tree that was a little taller than himself that had wide, fluffy branches. “That sounds nice. Um, I know nothing about engineering, by the way.”

Poki paused beside him and released his hand, tucking it into her coat. “It’s fun. Lots of math, but I like learning. Is this tree good?”

He nodded. “Good enough for me. Not sure if it’s up to Toast’s standards though.” Poki snorted with laughter and he chuckled under his breath.

“No one knows what Toast’s standards are. He’s perfect tsundere material.”

Corpse glanced at her as she stepped forward to look for the tree’s tag. “You watch anime?”

“Yeah! I love all the high school romances, they’re so cute!”

“They are cute,” he nodded. “I prefer shounen but I can get down with a high school romance.”

Poki ripped the customer’s half of the tag off of the tree and turned her head to look at him. She was still crouched on the ground, smiling wide with glee. “I can see you watching a rom-com. You probably cry when the couple finally gets together, huh?”

“Only a little.”

She stood and they started their walk back towards the entrance. “It’s nice to imagine finding something like that, one day.”

“I think so too.” They left the forest and the trees behind them. A long line of people stood in wait for the tree cutter. “But uh, I don’t think that’s really what I’m searching for right now, you know? Last year of school and all that. I need to keep my priorities straight.”

As they stood in the back of the line, Poki turned towards Corpse and looked up into his eyes.

“You understand, right? It isn’t you, I just…”

“Yeah, Poki. I get it. Besides, this is just one of Rae’s many stunts to get a bunch of nieces and nephews from me.”

The two laughed and the freezing wind made them shiver.

* * *

The van chugged along down the bumpy mountainside. It spluttered and coughed in the cold air and Corpse sighed in frustration. Poki had brought her own car, so he was stuck driving Toast’s tree home by himself. He was going to make Toast pay for this. For the tree, his dinner,  _ and _ for the awkward date. Maybe he should go to Rae for the last one, though.

At the bottom of the mountain, the van gave one last wheeze before it slowed to a stop.

“Really?  _ Really? _ We just fucking made it to the bottom and you-  _ fuck!” _ Corpse slammed his hand against the steering wheel before putting the car in park and climbing out. He went around to the front and popped open the hood, staring at the steaming engine. He’d told Poki he knew nothing about engineering and that extended to cars. All he knew was that when a car broke down, people in movies would get out, look at the trunk, and then just know what was wrong. Obviously, that wouldn’t work in real life.

A small, green sedan coming down the mountain drive pulled over behind the van.

_ Oh god, a serial killer?  _ Corpse immediately jumped to the worst case scenario and reached for the knife in his coat pocket, keeping his hand there just in case. Out of the little car came a slim, tall young man. He had black ruffled hair, a green striped scarf, and an awkward smile. He was pretty.  _ Wait no, focus, Corpse! Possible serial killer here. _

“Uh, hey there! Need a little help?”  _ Anime voice, _ Corpse’s lizard brain provided. The newcomer walked along the side of the van to join him.

“Um… yes, uh- hi? Nice to meet you. I’m Corpse. That’s mine- my name.”

The stranger giggled behind his hand. “Hi Corpse, I’m Sykkuno. Nice to meet you too! Ah, are you just hanging out on the side of the road for fun?”

Corpse nodded quickly. “Yup, for fun. My favorite hobby.” He cringed and cursed under his breath as Sykkuno laughed again. “Uh, not actually. My van broke down and I have no idea how to fix it.”

Sykkuno smiled in sympathy and nodded, patting Corpse’s arm. “I get that, I’m not a big car guy myself. I could take a look if you’d like, though?”

“If you promise not to break it, go ahead.” Corpse stepped aside and let the other take over. He leaned over the engine and peered through the steam. Only a couple moments passed before he reached in and startled to fiddle with… something. Corpse had no idea what. “So uh… you help a lot of strangers with their cars?”

Sykkuno chuckled as he fiddled with a few cords. “Eh, not really, no. But you just looked so sad and really, no one should be sad on Christmas.”

“Christmas isn’t for another week, though.”

“A… ha! Yes!” He straightened and stepped back, setting his hands on his hips. “Christmas day, sure, but this is an entire season of holidays celebrating joy and family and love, so-” He paused and blinked in surprise. “Sorry, uh, I didn’t mean to lecture you.”

Corpse smiled in empathy. “It’s chill, I appreciate the gesture.”

“Right!” Sykkuno blushed and turned away to shut the car hood. “So if you just want to give it a go and make sure it’s okay? I think the bumpy road just dislodged the battery connection, so you should be fine now. Though, best to get it checked out by an actual mechanic when you can.”

“If the doc says so, then so be it.” Corpse smiled and walked around the other to the driver’s side, getting in and turning the key in the engine. It growled to life and he sighed in relief. Outside, Sykkuno cheered aloud.

“Oh my gosh, it worked! Uh, I mean, of course it worked! Eh, why wouldn’t it?” Corpse laughed and leaned out the door to take in the blushing figure.

“I don’t suppose there’s any way I can thank you?”

Sykkuno shook his head and began the walk back towards his own car. “Nope, don’t even bother! I’m escaping now, you’re stuck with good karma that you must pass on.” He laughed at his own joke and Corpse couldn’t help but chuckle along. “Happy holidays, Corpse! See you around!”

The man got in his car and waited for Corpse to pull his van back onto the road before following. He trailed behind the musician until they got into town and went their separate ways. As Corpse pulled into Toast’s neighborhood, he noticed he was singing along to a Christmas song on the radio. He stopped himself, but couldn’t help the smile that came to his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: Okay_Boomer
> 
> Comments keep my cold heart beating in a particularly lonely holiday season. I'm a single pringle who can't stop getting sick :)
> 
> They also increase the chances of me posting on time, so...
> 
> What dates do you want to see next? Which ship do you think will win? Why has Hallmark not made a gay movie yet?
> 
> See you tomorrow!


	2. This is all I'm asking for

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day Six, the countdown continues!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the support everyone!!
> 
> There are two songs linked in this chapter that may... heighten your reading experience. They are not mandatory.
> 
> Enjoy :)

Corpse slumped down the stairs the next morning. His black curls were a mess and his head throbbed. He stayed up late to put together the Christmas tree with his friends, but it was worth it to see their smiling faces when it was finished. Dave and Felix were at the breakfast table eating while Jack was still cooking for those who hadn’t woken up yet. It was a holiday tradition of Toast’s to invite all of his friends to stay over for the week of Christmas. They usually ended up staying until New Year’s but the man welcomed the company. He was always complaining that his house was too big for just one guy. Ludwig and Scarra would arrive by plane a few days before Christmas, and a couple others, like Rae, lived in town and had no reason to crash at the house. Thus, the four in the kitchen, plus a still sleeping Toast, had the house to themselves.

“Corpse! Morning, buddy!” Jack was way too chirpy for the early hour of noon. He had on a frilly, bright pink apron that he’d stolen from Toast and was tending to a griddle full of pancakes. It filled the kitchen with the warm scent of maple and sugar. Felix and Dave waved from the table, their faces and plates stuffed full of food. Jack set up a third plate and dropped it on the table, waving for Corpse to sit.

“Surtosherahshehyurgon’ayin,” Felix said through his mouthful.

“Uh,” Corpse pulled his plate towards him. Two circles of pancakes smiled up at him with bacon mouths, strawberry eyes, and dollops of whipped cream for their noses. He pulled his mask down to frown back at it. “Thanks, Jack.”

“What Felix was trying to say,” Dave elaborated, “was Toast and Rae said you’re dating right now.” He was cutting his pancakes into tiny slices and dunking them into a cup filled to the brim with maple syrup. Corpse tried not to focus on the sugary monstrosity.

“Um, Rae is making me. Toast just jumped on board so I could do his tree shopping for him.” He took a small bite of crisp bacon.

Felix swallowed loudly and grinned. “So who’s the lucky lady for tonight? Or are you finally admitting your newfound sexuality?”

Jack reached across the table to hit Felix with a cat shaped oven mitt. “No teasing people about their sexuality. If he wants to date a guy, there are plenty around, but that’s his choice.” Felix grumbled and continued to eat. “Corpse, Rae informed me she already has the next date planned.”

Corpse grunted around his mouthful of pancake.

“I think you’ll actually like this one! Do you remember the bar on Front Street? The one by the post office.”

“Yeah? I can’t drink though, Rae knows that.”

“They don’t just have alcohol there, buddy.” Jack smiled before turning to flip more pancakes. “All I’ll say is, you may want to rest your voice before you go. Anyone up for a Hallmark movie marathon after brunch?”

* * *

Corpse found himself inside a loud, busy bar with sticky floors, tacky booths, and too many people in ugly sweaters. He was pretty sure this town had an obsession with ugly Christmas sweaters. There were also reindeer headbands and santa hats, bells on bracelets and necklaces, and a surprising amount of red and green body glitter. He had a booth to himself, thank god, but his date was nowhere to be found. Rae was as vague as ever over the phone. This girl was short, a singer, and liked gaming. He was starting to sense a pattern.

As he stared down at his glass of water, another body joined him on the other side of the booth.

“Oh, that seat’s already taken-”

“Hopefully by me!” Corpse looked up and saw a girl matching Rae’s description. She had dyed red hair tied up in a bun with bangs covering her forehead. Her black hoodie had long sleeves that flopped past her hands and she had a soft pink flower pinned in her bun. “Hi, I’m Lily! I think you’re Corpse? Rae told me you’d be wearing a mask and would look really sad.” Her voice was high and soft in pitch, the complete opposite of Corpse’s.

“Hello, yeah. I’m Corpse. You… already know that. Right. Did Rae tell you what we were doing here?” Corpse was ready to get this date over and done with. He was emotionally exhausted from crying at Hallmark movies all day and just wanted to go home and sleep.

“She didn’t tell you? This place has karaoke every Saturday and they’re doing a Christmas special tonight! I think they’re actually calling it a ‘holiday special’ to be more inclusive.” She reached over and grabbed a sheet from the napkin holder on the table, fiddling with the paper.

“She hasn’t been telling me much at all. Do you… know about the seven dates thing?”

Lily folded and creased the napkin. “Seven days, seven dates. A little like a curse, don’t you think?” She giggled at him. Corpse lifted his mask just slightly to take a sip of water.

“Yeah, something like that. Don’t we have to sign up to sing, or are we just being subjected to other people’s terrible choices?”

She pulled out a ticket from her sweater and dropped it on the table in front of him. “Already taken care of! We’re one of the first people up. I’m pretty sure Rae pulled some strings to get us in quick.”

“That’s nice of her.”

A stifling silence stretched between them, filled with the crowd’s cheers and the jingle jangling chime of bells.

“So uh… any hobbies?” Corpse tried. He really did.

Lily giggled and smiled, but took the bait.

They only talked for a few minutes before the karaoke started. It was just as bad as Corpse predicted, though one group gave an [incredibly powerful rendition](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QdezH_Tn_U) of _Feliz Navidad_ that seemed to go on for ages. Eventually their ticket number was called and the two stood to shuffle through the crowd toward the stage. As Corpse dodged around a drunk old lady, something pinged in his brain.

“Hey, do you know what song we’re singing?”

“Nope!” Lily said, all cheer and no anxiety. “Rae picked for us. It’ll be a surprise! I just hope I know the tune.”

“Right, of course. Me too.”

The host for the night, an older man in a Walmart brand suit and a combover, clapped as the two stepped forward. The stage wasn’t really a stage, but a few wood pallets covered in carpet, a couple of microphones, and a TV where the lyrics would be displayed. Corpse was suddenly very grateful for the amount of stage practice Dream made him do despite Corpse’s job not requiring it. Otherwise, he would be absolutely terrified right now. As it was, he was only exceedingly terrified. A marginal improvement.

The older man made a few jokes to the crowd as he set up the next song, then hit play. The first few notes began and a cartoon reindeer with a bright red nose [popped up on the TV. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FuF7H0uJww) _ Oh god, I’m going to kill Rae. _ Lily started laughing as the lyrics appeared, so Corpse took over.

_ “You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen _

_ “Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen _ ,” except Donner was misspelled as Donnar and Lily was sent into another fit of giggles.

_ “But do you recall _

_ “The most famous reindeer of all?” _ Corpse turned to Lily, microphone in hand, and gave her the saddest puppy dog eyes he could manage. Her laughter grew, but she sucked in enough air to continue the song.

_ “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” _ Lily’s voice was a surprising juxtaposition of Corpse’s and it threw him through a loop when she actually sounded  _ good. _ Rae did say she was a singer.

_ “Had a very shiny nose,” _ this time, nose was spelled as “noise” and Corpse had to turn away from the mic to laugh.

_ “And if you ever saw it _

_ “You would even say it glows.” _

Corpse took over for the next stanza.

_ “All of the other reindeer _

_ “Used to laugh and call him names _

_ “They never let poor Rudolph _

_ “Join in any reindeer games!” _ Corpse felt for the little reindeer. His voice turned too-deep at the age of twelve and he knew exactly what Rudolph had gone through. He smiled at Lily from under the mask.

Lily sang,  _ “Then one foggy Christmas eve, Santa came to say…” _ She pointed at him and Corpse made his voice go as deep as he could make it.

_ “Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?” _ The crowd laughed and clapped along and Corpse tried not to blush.

The two joined together for the last stanza and leaned against each other as they laughed through the instrumental. The song repeated again and they did their best to sing through the giggles. Finally, it came to a close and they hooked their mics back onto the stands before climbing down. The crowd applauded as they walked back to their booth, though Corpse was pretty sure half of them were too drunk to know why they were clapping.

Lily and Corpse stumbled up to the table and collapsed in their seats, struggling to contain themselves again.

“W- _ why?” _ Lily hiccuped. “Why did Rae think that was a good song choice?”

Corpse leaned forward and placed both palms on the table. “That whole time,” he whispered loudly, “I felt  _ so bad _ for Rudolph.” They fell into a fit of laughter once more.

* * *

Corpse wrapped his wool coat tightly around himself as they stood in the parking lot.

“I had a lot of fun tonight. That was… really nice.” His voice was gravelly from singing and talking so much, but for once he didn’t mind.

“Me too, I’m glad I did this! But…” Lily trailed off and glanced back towards the bar. A small group tumbled out the front doors and their laughter faded into the night as they walked home through the cold. “I’m sorry, Corpse. I really like you, but there’s someone else. You’re a really nice guy, don’t get me wrong! I was just hoping I could get over him by going out with you and… I was wrong. I’m so sorry.”

“Oh.” Corpse looked down at his feet. He hadn’t been expecting anything from these dates, but he was surprised to find himself disappointed. He felt the chill winter air pierce through his layers. “That’s okay. I’m still glad we did this and… I don’t blame you.”

Lily looked up into his eyes and smiled sadly. “No hard feelings?”

“No hard feelings.”

She grinned and punched his arm lightly. “Maybe I’ll see you and your date at the Christmas party!”

Corpse grinned behind his mask. “I hope to meet your guy as well, if he’s as good as you say he is.”

“If I can get him, then you can have anyone, Corpse! I don’t doubt it for a minute.” They said their goodbyes and Lily left in her car. Corpse had taken the van again, but he wanted to stand in the cold for a little longer. Just to think.

The bar’s front doors opened again and another group of drunks stumbled out. Corpse turned and watched them walk towards a car.  _ If they’re  _ all _ drunk, then I hope they’re not driving,  _ Corpse thought. A familiar figure broke away from the group and ran towards him.

“Corpse, hey!” It was the same man from yesterday. “It’s me, Sykkuno? From the van thing?”

“Oh… hi, Sykkuno. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Sykkuno smiled a little and rubbed his gloved hands together. “Yeah well, I’m the designated driver for my friends over there. We’re all teachers, so we don’t get to drink much. A Saturday on winter break, though? That's free game!”

Corpse nodded and watched as the man’s friends struggled to open the car and crawl inside. “You’re a teacher? At the high school, or…?”

“Junior high, yup! I teach math and the after school music club.”

“That’s actually really cool.”

Sykkuno laughed, tucking his face behind his hands. “You really think so? I don’t know about that, but… it is really fun. Um, I heard you singing earlier! You sounded incredible.”

“Uh- thank you?” Corpse blushed and shuffled his feet. “I don’t do it as often as I’d like, to be honest.”

“If you’re free sometime, you should come sing with my club! Ah, that’s only if you want to of course, I don’t want to make you-”

Corpse held up his palms . “That’d be amazing, Sykkuno. I just... I’m only visiting home for the week. I’ll be flying back to L.A. after Christmas.”

Sykkuno frowned. “Well that’s too bad. Maybe- well, I guess there won’t really be another time, huh?”

“No, I guess not.” Corpse sighed. “If- um, my radio show has a website? If you’d want to listen, that is. I never get to sing, they only have me as a talk show host, but… uh, that’s not that interesting, sorry.”

“I’d love that!” Sykkuno stepped forward and pulled his phone out, typing in the passcode. He handed the phone over to Corpse and a notes app was pulled up. Corpse took it with shaking hands. “You’re so good at singing though, why don’t they let you do it?”

Corpse shrugged and typed in the website’s address. “I’d love to just make music for the rest of my life, but that isn’t what the contract says. Maybe once it ends, but… I don’t know. I’d be scared to quit.” He handed back the phone and Sykkuno smiled softly.

“Well I hope you can figure out what you want. Sounds like you aren’t very happy where you are, you know? Uh, that is- I mean-”

Corpse chuckled and shook his head. “I get it, I do. I’ll think about it. Maybe quitting wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.”

“You’ve certainly got the skills to back it up.”

A slurred voice called over from the car, “Sy! Kkuno, we gotta  _ go. _ I’m  _ tired.” _ The two jerked out of their reverie and looked over at the coworker leaning out of a window. Sykkuno waved to them before turning back to Corpse.

“See you around, maybe?”

“Yeah, that’d be nice.”

As Sykkuno pulled out of the parking lot and Corpse started the van, he realized he’d forgotten to ask for the man’s number.  _ When did getting his number become a goal of mine? _ He blasted the heat and turned up the radio, humming along to Jingle Bells on the drive home. The first flakes of snow fell from the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: Petra4President
> 
> I hope you laughed as much as I did. This chapter was a lot of fun to write! And yes, I did sing along to Rudolph karaoke for... research. I am not ashamed.
> 
> I have been sick, but the doc gave me meds and I'm feeling a lot better now! Thank you so much for the well wishes, I really appreciate it. I do pay attention to your suggestions and one person was spot on for tomorrow's date!
> 
> See you then! <3


	3. I just wanna see my baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five days left!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!!

Rae, Toast, Jack, and Dave were all gathered in the foyer when Corpse came down from his room. Each of them had on gloves, scarves, coats, and boots, and were holding a pair of goggles. Toast had a second set in his hands which he shoved against Corpse’s chest.

“Date number three, Corpsey! Are you excited?”

“I was hoping you’d forgotten.”

“Corpse, Corpse!” Rae ran up to him and dumped his gloves and coat in his arms. “It’s _snowing!_ And do you know what that means?”

He looked to Jack and Dave for answers, but the two just smiled and gave him a thumbs up, respectively. _Useless._

“We’re going sledding!” Rae cheered and ran out the front door. The four men followed, though Dave was kind enough to wait for Corpse to put on his extra layers.

Outside, a soft blanket of snow covered the neighborhood. Flakes still fell from the sky and the decorations on every house twinkled in the morning light. Someone had woken up early to shovel the driveway and scrape off the van, so it was easy for everyone to climb in. Toast took his place in the driver’s seat and twisted to look at his passengers.

“Alright girl and boys, Rae’s had me craving McDonald’s for the past two days, so we’re going there for breakfast. Then, sledding!”

The group cheered with tired enthusiasm from the early hour and Dave blasted his holiday playlist on the radio.

* * *

Stomachs full of food and sleds rented out, the group stood at the top of a steep hill located somewhere in the mountains west of Cottonwood. A cabin was situated at the bottom kitted out with a hot chocolate and cider booth. Jack made them all promise to play nice before releasing them to, in Corpse’s mind, their early deaths. Rae pulled Corpse aside before he could escape.

“Okay, Corpse! Your date’s already here, she just texted me that she’s in the parking lot. Hang out here and you can sled together! She told me she’s in a bright pink jacket, so you can’t miss her. Got it?” Rae patted him on the back just a little too hard, then took off down the hillside.

“Yup. Thanks, Rae, great talking to you,” Corpse muttered as he watched his friends sled away.

A few minutes later, a hand lightly tapped his shoulder and he jumped, turning to the newcomer.

“Uh… Corpse? You good?” To his surprise, it wasn’t a woman in pink but a familiar man in a bright green jacket.

“Sykkuno? Oh, yeah, I’m good. What’s up?” Sykkuno had lifted up his goggles to talk to Corpse, smushing his dark hair up on his forehead. The man smiled softly.

“Just wanted to check up on you. Kinda weird how we keep bumping into each other, huh?”

“Yeah, you’re not stalking me, are you?”

“W-what? No! I, I mean- I just think-”

Corpse chuckled and cut off his anxious rant. “You’re fine, Sykkuno, I didn’t think you were. Are you here with the other teachers today?”

Sykkuno shook his head. “No, they’re all hungover from last night. A few friends invited me, so I brought some of the kids from my music club! Eh, maybe if you-”

“Corpse! Hi!” A cheery voice called from behind him and they both turned to look. A woman in a neon pink coat was waving and walking towards them.

“Oh. Sorry,” he turned back to the other man, “I’m kinda here on a date, so…”

“No worries, Corpse! Next time, right? Have fun on your date!” Sykkuno waved and left quickly, not giving the other a chance to respond.

The woman arrived by his side and stuck her hand out. Her blonde hair was tied up in a long ponytail, eyes a light brown, and her smile was bright enough to challenge the rising sun. Corpse shook her hand awkwardly.

“Uh, hey. Sup?”

“Hi, I’m Brooke! Sorry to interrupt you two, I hope it wasn’t anything important! You ready to get started?”

“Sure? I- have you done this before?”

Brooke smirked and raised her brows at him. “Well, I’ll have you know _I’m_ a professional. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

“I wasn’t asking you to show me, I just wanted to make sure I wouldn’t have to carry you.” Corpse grinned behind his mask and leaned against his sled.

“Oh, it’s _on_ goth boy!” The two raced with their sleds towards the edge of the hill, laughing all the way.

What they don’t tell you about sledding is that it’s fun on the way down, but the repeated treks back up the hill are exhausting and, without a doubt, the worst part of the experience. Thirty minutes into Corpse and Brooke’s race - a lot of ties, the occasional win from one or the other - and the two collapsed at the bottom from fatigue. They were laughing despite being out of breath and Corpse could tell he wouldn’t be getting feeling back into his fingers and toes for hours.

“I don’t,” Brooke puffed, “I don’t mean to brag, but I totally won that.”

Corpse wheezed into the back of his hand. “You keep telling yourself that, but we both know I won in the end.” He was panting into his mask, trying to sit up and catch his breath, when he realized the girl hadn’t responded. “Brooke-?”

A slurry of cold snow smacked against the back of his head and Corpse yelled in shock. He stood quickly and turned to see Brooke bent over in laughter, the remains of a snowball in her hand. “Oh, you’ve made a mistake, ma’am.” Corpse began to scoop up snow into his hands, but before he could finish, another one smacked into his shoulder. Brooke ran away laughing, and Corpse chased after her with his newly sculpted ammo.

Soon, Rae, Toast, Dave, and Jack joined them at the bottom of the hill. Dave and Jack took Corpse’s team and Rae and Toast joined Brooke. There wasn’t a great point system except whoever was the most numb from cold at the end probably lost. Their laughter filled the air and warmed their hearts despite the freezing temperatures.

One last snowball hit Brooke square in the chest and she slow-motion fell to her knees, collapsing onto the ground with a final wheeze. Corpse and Jack helped her back up and the team dragged themselves to the cabin for hot drinks. It was as Corpse was tugging down his mask to take a sip of hot cider that Brooke turned to him, fire in her eyes.

“You know what, Corpse? You’re not a bad guy. I wouldn’t kill you in your sleep.” Rae choked on her hot chocolate in surprise.

“You’re not so bad yourself, Brooke. I won’t choose you as my first sacrifice when the apocalypse comes.” Jack wheezed and Dave thumped him on the back.

“I take it you two had a good time?” Toast asked hesitantly. Brooke and Corpse looked at each other, shrugged, and laughed.

“I found a new rival, so yes! Yes, we did,” Brooke said.

Corpse shook his head. “If we dated, we would kill each other within the first two weeks. Three if it was a long distance thing.” She nodded in agreement.

Rae, now recovered from her brush with death-by-hot-chocolate, pulled out her phone. “O- _kay,_ so that’s a no on today’s date. May tomorrow bring love and romance to you, Corpse! Now everyone, squeeze together for a picture!”

* * *

The group marched back to the parking lot with their sleds, exhausted and ready for lunch and a long nap. Dave and Rae started loading up the car with their gear while Toast turned on the van to get the heat going. As Brooke was saying goodbye to Corpse, he saw Sykkuno at the edge of the lot with a group of kids.

“One sec, Brooke, I’ll be right back,” he cut her off and jogged over to the man.

“I think we had a lot of fun today, guys! Some of my friends are going skating tomorrow, so- Oh, Corpse?” Sykkuno looked away from his class and smiled.

“Hey! Hey, I just- uh, we were just leaving, so I wanted to say bye. If that’s okay.”

Sykkuno rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. “Well, I’m glad you did! Oh, this is my music club, by the way.” He waved to the six kids who all gave shy greetings. “We’re actually going ice skating tomorrow, if you wanna join?”

Corpse was already nodding before the man could finish his sentence. “Yeah, yeah that’d be awesome. I’d love to.”

“Great! Um, we’ll be there around 3? I think? Just at Cottonwood’s indoor rink, nothing fancy.”

“Sounds good, totally. Uh, I’ll see you then.” Corpse stepped back and waved awkwardly. Sykkuno returned it with a smile before turning back to his class.

With a sigh, Corpse returned to his friends. Toast and Jack were already in the car, but Rae and Dave were still standing by the open trunk. Brooke was nowhere to be found.

“Hey, where’s-?”

Rae cut in, “Oh, Brooke left because she saw you making heart eyes at that guy. Did you get his number?”

“She told us to tell you she had a good time and something about you being her number one enemy,” Dave said as he shut the trunk.

“Ah, yeah, we talked about that. Uh, no. I didn’t get his number. But, I have an idea for tomorrow’s date.”

Rae’s eyes went wide and she jumped towards Corpse, grabbing him by the shoulders. _“Yes!_ You’re finally getting excited about this! And I know _just_ the people for tomorrow!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure how I feel about this chapter, but my fever has refused to go down so I'm blaming it on that ;w;
> 
> This was actually supposed to be tomorrow's chapter, but LifeOfRoseAngel requested this so I bumped it up a day! I hope it fits the sibling rivalry these two have <3
> 
> Stream Lil Nas X - Holiday!


	4. Standing right outside my door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the fourth day of Christmas...

In a strange contradiction, the indoor skating rink was more cold than the snowy weather outside. Corpse had on a warm sweater, gloves, and rented skates. The others stayed at the house to let him have fun on his date, opting instead to watch  _ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. _ They didn’t hesitate to call Corpse their personal Grinch as he walked out the door with the keys to Toast’s van. Rae had actually given him some useful information this time about his date, probably because he took some initiative in choosing the place.

It was two people, a couple, who were in an open relationship. Corpse didn’t mind, especially since he didn’t think anything would come from today based on the week’s track record. Their names were Leslie and Edison and they would be wearing yellow and blue, respectively. This was more than he knew for the last few dates, but Corpse still felt like he was out of his depth.

Corpse sat on the bleachers, fiddling with the laces of his skates to occupy himself. 90’s pop music blasted from distant speakers and kids screamed as they pushed each other across the ice. Adults practiced various techniques from falling to dizzying spins in the center of the rink. He was nervous to meet new people, but he also wasn’t sure if Sykkuno would show up. The other man did invite him, but they still hadn’t exchanged numbers or much else about each other. He hoped he could get away from his dates for a moment to speak to the man, but there was no guarantee he would be able to.

Yelling from the entrance caught his attention and Corpse looked up. Two people were walking towards him, their hands clasped together. A man in blue was waving and the woman beside him had a huge smile on her face. Corpse climbed down from the bleachers to greet them, attempting to shake off his nerves on the way.

“Hello, uh, you’re Leslie and Edison?”

The two nodded and Leslie released her husband’s hand, holding hers out to shake. Corpse took it gently. “Hi, Corpse! It’s really nice to meet you. I know this might be a little awkward for you, but let’s just think of it as a fun day out! No expectations, okay?”

Edison smirked and crossed his arms. “Unless, of course, you want something out of it.” Leslie punched him in the arm and he leaned away, rubbing his shoulder. “Kidding, kidding! Leslie’s right though, we can just have a good time and go from there.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Corpse nodded and the three of them shuffled towards the gates on their skates. Corpse paused to let the other two get on the ice first and Edison turned back to him.

“Hey, you’ve skated before, right? I didn’t want to assume.”

“Kind of? I did a lot of dance as a kid so that carries over a bit.”

“Cool! Leslie has no idea what she’s doing, so we may have to help her out.” Leslie gasped in offense, but still had a smile on her face.

“Alright, big man, then get over here and help me!” She climbed onto the ice and leaned against the side of the rink, pulling herself forward on the side bars. Edison chuckled as he followed her and Corpse took up the rear.

Edison took Leslie’s left hand, Corpse took her right, and they slowly pulled her away from the sidelines. She alternated between leaning towards one side or the other, but eventually got her balance enough to start shuffling forward on her own. There was the occasional stumble, especially when they had to turn at one end of the rink, but every save was met with applause from both men and nervous laughter from Leslie. Corpse and Edison took turns coaching her and giving tips until she shook them off and skated a few feet in front of the two. They followed close behind and spoke as they watched Leslie skate ahead.

“So Corpse, tell me about yourself. Rae said you like music?”

“Ah, yeah, I’ve been making songs for a few years. Haven’t posted anything yet, but it’s fun.”

“That’s really cool, man. I’ve never been huge into the music scene, but I think it’s admirable to stick with something for so long.”

Corpse looked at the other man out of the corner of his eye. He had on a soft smile tucked under his blue scarf. “You really think so?”

Edison met his eyes. “Yeah, I really do. If you’ve been doing it for that long, you must be good at it. Even if you’re not, it doesn’t really matter. As long as you’re passionate, people will pay attention.”

“I- I guess I never thought of it like that.” Corpse looked back towards Leslie just in time to see her stumble. She caught her balance and pushed on.

“If you ever decide to post something, let me know. I’ll make Leslie listen to it on repeat for a month.” The two chuckled and skated forward to join their partner.

Eventually, Edison broke away from the other two to practice spins at the center of the rink. Corpse skated alongside Leslie and the two watched Edison jump, fall, and pick himself back up to try again.

“Alright, Corpse,” Leslie huffed, still focused on staying on her feet, “I know you have questions, so throw them at me.”

“Uh… okay? What’s your favorite flower?”

She gave him a flat stare and the lack of focus made her slip. Corpse grabbed her by the shoulder and stabilized her again.

“You- no, I mean about us being open. Any worries on that?”

“Ah,” Corpse nodded slowly. He released her arm and they skated on their own for a moment while he thought. “Well, what are you looking for? In a third, I mean.”

Leslie hummed. “Not necessarily a third. We’re open, but it isn’t like there’s this one spot and only one person can fill it for us. Maybe I’ll find someone and Edison won’t, or maybe Edison will like someone and I’ll hate them. It’s just whoever comes along. If we all end up together, great, but it isn’t our main goal, you know?”

“Yeah, it makes sense. Edison kind of implied…”

Leslie laughed lightly. “Oh, he likes to imply a lot, but he’s actually kind of shy about this stuff. We don’t really care if you want romance or something else. I just want you to be happy and I think Edison wants the same. It’s okay if that happiness doesn’t come from us.”

“Oh.” Corpse looked back to the center of the rink. Edison jumped and landed on his back skate, sliding into a smooth spin before stopping to cheer. “I feel like this is less of a date and more you two just giving me life advice.”

“It can’t be both?” Edison met Corpse’s eyes across the rink and gave him a thumbs up. Corpse waved.

“I guess so. Dating just seems like…”

“A commitment? Yeah, screw that. Just cause you’re dating doesn’t mean you have to be searching for your one true love. Have some fun with it!”

Corpse hummed and turned around to skate backwards. Leslie scoffed at him.

“Oh, you’ve been hiding moves from me this whole time? I feel betrayed, I thought you were closer to my level.”

“I’m nowhere near Edison, but I can do a couple things.”

Leslie grinned wide and stopped her skates. “Show me! Please?”

Corpse shook his head and sighed. “Fine, but if I get hurt, you’re paying my medical bills.”

He skated towards the center of the ice and paused near the middle, thinking. He hadn’t actually skated since he was a kid, but he had a distant recollection of Rae showing him a spin combination. Corpse pushed off the ice and took a few laps to pick up speed. He twisted backwards and rolled into a spin, tucking his limbs in tight. After a few rotations, he stood and stretched into a standing spin, lifting and grabbing one skate to point it towards the wall. He released it, tucked back into the spin, and then had a dreadful realization.

In all of Rae’s showing off her own skills, she never demonstrated how to  _ stop  _ a spin. He had a vague idea of, if he widened his stance, physics would make him slow down. Otherwise, Corpse was completely lost. He panicked, struck his arms out, and fell in a heap of limbs and lost dignity.

Corpse groaned as he looked up at the ceiling, waiting for the dizziness to pass. A head popped up in his vision, their face wrapped up in a familiar scarf.

“Oh Jesus, are you okay?”

“...Sykkuno? Am I dead?”

“I  _ hope _ not!” Sykkuno crouched down to grab under his shoulders, lifting him to his feet carefully. “Does your head hurt? Are you dizzy, nauseous, do you need water?”

“Uh,” Corpse shook his head, but stopped when it worsened his symptoms. “I’m fine. I just need to sit.”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll take you to the bleachers!” They skated to the side of the rink and stepped off the ice together. Corpse collapsed onto the first empty seat he could find and groaned. “Are you sure you don’t want ice or something?” Sykkuno sat down next to him and lifted his hands hesitantly.

“I’m good, really. I just realized half way through that I never learned how to stop, so…”

Sykkuno paused before busting out in laughter, though he quieted himself quickly. “You- you never learned how to stop? How-?”

Corpse blushed behind his mask. “My friend Rae taught me some of her moves from when she took skating classes, but I think she skipped over a lot of the basics. I know how to jump, but not catch myself. I can spin, but I can’t stop. Shit like that.”

The other man muffled his giggling with the back of his hand. “Well, I’m glad you’re alright. But let me know if you do need anything, okay?”

“Corpse!” Leslie called out from inside the rink. He looked up and saw Edison slowly dragging her across the ice by her wrists to get to the gate. “Corpse, are you okay?” The two climbed off the ice and shuffled towards him.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Sykkuno helped me out. Sorry if I scared you.”

“It’s fine, buddy, we’re just glad you’re okay,” Edison spoke softly. “Good thing you had a friend nearby, huh?” He winked and Corpse’s blush darkened.

“Uh, yup. Really good thing. Um, guys, this is Sykkuno. Sykkuno, these are my… dates? Leslie and Edison.”

“Oh!” Sykkuno’s eyes widened and he held up both hands. “I didn’t realize-”

Leslie reached out and grabbed the man’s hands, shaking her head. “No, no, you’re fine! We were just showing Corpse how to have a good date, nothing serious!” Edison nodded along with a wide smile.

“Yup. In fact, we were just about to head out. Corpse brought his own car, so if you two wanted to keep hanging, feel free.”

_ “Edison,” _ Corpse huffed.

“That’d be great!” Sykkuno interrupted. “If- if you’d be okay with that?” He turned hopeful eyes on Corpse and the man knew he had no choice. He wouldn’t pick another option, anyways.

“Yeah, that sounds nice. I’d like that.”

“Great! Um, sorry to interrupt your date though, I think?”

Edison and Leslie laughed. “Trust me,” Leslie said, “you’re totally fine. We had a great time, Corpse!”

“See you around, bud,” Edison added. The two waved and walked off to untie their skates.

Sykkuno immediately turned to Corpse. “You’re sure you aren’t hurt? I don’t mean to push, but concussions are really serious.”

Corpse shook his head and smiled. “I promise I’m fine. I’ve had a lot worse than this, really.”

The other man pouted and tucked his chin into his scarf. “That doesn’t make it any better. But okay. My kids haven’t made it yet, so we could just chill? You don’t have to stick around to hang out with them, either.”

“Sure, we can do that. I’d like to meet your kids, too. If you don’t mind.”

“Oh! Well, they’re not actually  _ mine, _ I mean- I just, I teach them, so I call them mine, y’know? But they’re not really  _ my _ kids…”

Corpse chuckled and patted Sykkuno’s arm gently. “I get it, they’re your kids but they’re not.”

“Exactly, right! You get it. Uh…” The two looked at each other for a moment and broke out into laughter. “Right. So, you said you were… practicing dating?”

“Uh, yeah, my friend Rae thinks I need to get a girlfriend. Which is weird, because barely any of my friends are dating.”

“That is pretty weird. So you’re just going around dating random people?”

“Basically. I’ve had… three dates so far? She has it all planned out for me.”

Sykkuno hummed and nodded, setting his chin on his hand. “Well, as long as she has your best interests at heart, I think it’s a great idea.”

“You think so? Well-” A group of kids tumbled into the ice rink, their voices mixing in with the existing noise. Sykkuno looked over and waved to them.

“Oh, there’s my kids! I’d introduce you but there’s like twenty of them, so no pressure.” He laughed and stood, holding one hand out. Corpse took it and stood alongside him. They let go of each other just as the children joined them.

“Sy, Sy, Sy! We made it! Mr. Lud drove us all the way here and only had to make three u-turns!” The kids chattered over each other, each trying to be heard. Sykkuno raised his palms to quiet them.

“I’m glad you all made it! Go rent out your skates and we’ll start, okay? No pushing, we’ll all get turns on the ice!” A few of them gave Sykkuno a group hug before they all ran off to the rental booth. He turned to Corpse with a shy smile, one hand on the back of his neck. “I guess this is it, then? I hope I can see you again before your flight back.”

“I have no idea what my next few dates are going to be, but feel free to interrupt them as much as you’d like,” Corpse said. Sykkuno laughed, but didn’t hide his smile.

“If you say so! See you around, Corpse.”

“Yeah, Sykkuno. See you.” The teacher turned and walked back towards his kids. Corpse sat down and began unlacing his skates, hands shaking with excitement. He had no idea what tomorrow would bring, but for once, he was looking forward to it. As he stood and walked towards the booth to return his skates, Corpse met Sykkuno’s eyes. The man was in the rink now, addressing his gaggle of children, but he took a moment to wave to Corpse.  _ Last Christmas _ played over the stereo system. Corpse returned the wave with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta! They're all asleep, haha. Thanks to Waolll for giving some ideas!
> 
> Ah, this chapter! It went from "how do I make this longer?" to "oh no, it won't stop" really fast. Seems like Corpse is getting some good advice, though!
> 
> I'm incredibly excited for tomorrow's chapter, and it'll be posted earlier in the day because I'm going out to see holiday lights! My favorite thing to do this season ;w;
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Now go tell someone you love them <3


	5. Oh, I just want you for my own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three days until Christmas...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! <3

“You know what the greatest part of the holiday season is?” Dave asked. Corpse glared at him from the passenger seat, head leaned against the window. “Lots of people would say snow or seeing your family if they’re nice. But truly, the greatest part of Christmas is the generosity.”

“Dave. I’m not the Grinch. I do like the holidays.”

“I never said you were!”

“Yesterday, when you guys were watching the movie-”

“That’s beside the point,” Dave waved a hand in the air as he turned onto the small town’s main road. “Look, Rae has been kind enough to pull some strings and get you in on a fun, goodwill event. Will you have fun? I can’t say. Will it be full of goodwill though?  _ Absolutely.” _

He pulled into the parking lot of one of the local churches. The lot was nearly full and they took a spot furthest from the door.

“Uh… I still don’t know what I’m doing here.”

Dave turned off the van and twisted to focus on Corpse. “We are being morally good people. You are going on a date. Kind of.”

Corpse raised one brow and sighed, “Is your morally good deed getting me to go on this date?”

“Wha-?” Dave laughed and scoffed. “You’re hilarious. A comedian, really. You’re also right, but that doesn’t mean anything. Now, out of the car! Let’s go!”

They climbed out and walked to the church, icy snow crunching under their feet. A long line of people stood near the door, all in different states of clothing quality. Some had blankets instead of jackets. Others were in suits and dresses that looked like they hadn’t been washed in weeks. Most of them looked normal. Coats, jeans, shoes. Dave led the two of them past the line and into the building, towards the back of the church where the pews had been cleared out. They’d been replaced by a series of fold-out tables, each one covered in casseroles, crockpots, soup kettles, and a variety of other dishes. A tall, dark-haired woman was standing at one end, seemingly in charge of the affair.

“Hey Corpse,” Dave paused in front of one of the tables to look at him. “Did you ever get to meet the mayor here?”

Corpse squinted at his friend. “What does Rae do again? How much blackmail does she have on this town?”

Dave chuckled and patted his arm. “Oh, you have no idea, buddy.” He led them to the woman as she was passing plates and utensils to volunteers.

“Judy, I need you to go let everyone know we’re about to start. Can you make sure all the heaters are plugged in, Ken? Reese! Did you finish unwrapping everything? Awesome, you can take your station then.” She turned to the two newcomers and smiled, holding out a hand to shake. “Hello! Are you two volunteering today?”

Dave shook her hand first. “Yes, we are. I’m Dave, this is Corpse. Corpse, this is Mayor Ocasio-Cortez. Rae may have mentioned us?”

She grinned and laughed lightly. “Oh, I remember Rae said you’d be coming. You can just call me Alexandria, or AOC. We’re about to get started, so just pick a spot behind a table and hand out food when people arrive. Seems easy enough?”

The two men nodded and shuffled into their spots. They rolled up their sleeves, pulled on food-grade gloves, and stared down at the food in front of them.

“So,” Corpse started. “I don’t mean to be rude, but…”

“Yeah, I know. I don’t think Rae told her this would be a date.”

Corpse hummed and nodded. “Sounds right. I honestly don’t care, so we can just… make the best of this.”

Dave looked at him as the church’s front doors swung open to greet the hungry. “Really? No cynicism, pessimism, ‘woe is me’ whining?”

Corpse glared at him as he picked up a spatula for the broccoli casserole sitting before him. “I don’t know why you guys think I’m such a grouch.”

“It’s L.A., dude. No offense, but it kind of made you an asshole. Rae- I mean,  _ all _ of us miss you. The happy you.”

An older gentleman walked up to the table with a plate and Corpse dished out a scoop of food for him. Dave did the same with his mashed potatoes.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever actually been happy. Just kind of riding along with life, you know?”

“Maybe that’s not the greatest way to live though. What if... what if you choose what you want to do? Just once, pick something you want and go for it.”

“Just like that, huh?” A few more people passed down the line, asking for food or saying hello and merry Christmas. All of them had smiles and made jokes with each other, despite where they stood in the world. “You make it sound easy.”

“Never said it was. Only that you should.”

Corpse chuckled behind his mask and adjusted his gloves as he waited for the next wave. “Alright then. The next time I see something I want, I’ll just- I’ll go for it. Why not? What’s the worst that could happen?”

Dave laughed and bumped into his friend’s shoulder. “That’s the attitude to have, yeah!”

The two refocused on their task and continued to pass out food. When a tray ran out, they replaced it with another, until every person who entered had their fill and seconds and maybe a little more. The crowd that had gathered sat at tables spread throughout the building. Someone had turned on jazz music and a few people stood up to dance. Some of the volunteers left their station to join them or speak with the guests. AOC was walking throughout the church, greeting every person and asking about their lives. Dave and Corpse pulled their gloves off with relieved sighs as the last of the line stepped away.

“That wasn’t too bad. Great date idea, Corpse,” Dave teased.

“Thank you, thank you. I put a lot of thought into this.”

“I could tell, very impressive.” The two laughed under their breath, shaking their heads. They pulled their sleeves down and stepped out from around the table. The mayor saw them and immediately made a beeline towards the two.

“Dave, Corpse! Before you go, would you mind carrying a few things to one of the volunteer’s cars? He was being stubborn and didn’t want to ask for help, so I’m enlisting you two.”

Corpse nodded and gave a thumbs up. “Yeah, it’s no problem. Just point us to the cargo.”

AOC led them to a group of boxes full of empty dishes and pots. The two men lifted them up and carried them out the door, attempting to wave at people without dropping their goods. Outside, the mayor pointed them to a small green car, its trunk open and a body half buried in equipment. She left them to return to the church and they slowly crossed the parking lot to join the other volunteer.

“Hey,” Dave huffed. “These are your things?”

The figure jumped and bumped their head on the car roof.  _ “Eh, _ uh, yes?” He turned and Corpse’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Sykkuno.” His chest buzzed with warmth, almost choking him in surprise. “You’re here.”

“Oh, Corpse!” He rubbed the back of his head and smiled. “I was just dropping by to pick up dishes. I couldn’t be here for the event, so I offered to wash up for everyone.”

“That’s really kind of you,” Dave said. He put down his boxes and Corpse did the same. “Corpse and I were just about to head out, so it’s a good thing we caught you, huh?”

“Um, yup,” Corpse nodded. “Really good.”

The three stood in silence for a moment until Dave hit his friend’s shoulder with the back of his hand.

“Wha-  _ Oh. _ Hey, Sykkuno,” Corpse started, breathless.

“Uh, hey Corpse!”

Dave hid a laugh behind his hand.

“Could I- Could I get your number? We keep running into each other, so it’d be nice. To uh, talk on purpose. Sometime. Um, am I making sense?”

Sykkuno giggled and Corpse felt like he was going to drown in heat despite the snow beneath his feet. “Yeah, Corpse, that’d be nice.” He pulled out his phone and passed it to Corpse who took it and typed his number in with shaking hands. “You can text me anytime, okay? Doesn’t matter if you’re in town or not.”

Corpse just nodded and passed the phone back, trying to focus on not dropping it.

“Right!” Dave clapped his hands together. The other two jumped out of their trance. “So, boxes? Do you just want these in the trunk?”

Sykkuno nodded and stammered, but led them to dump their things in the car. He and Dave shook hands and Dave made some excuse about starting the van so he could get first choice of music. He ran off, leaving the other two on their own.

Corpse shoved his hands into his coat and opened his mouth to speak, when his phone rang. “Oh, one sec? Sorry, I-”

Sykkuno shook his head and smiled. “It’s fine! I don’t have anywhere to be.” He turned and shut the trunk as Corpse pulled out his phone.

_ Oh God,  _ he thought. He picked up the call.

“Corpse! Buddy, pal, friend! It’s your best and most loving manager. How is my main man?”

“You’re my only manager, Dream,” Corpse said in a flat tone. “I’m fine. Why are you calling?”

On the other end, Dream laughed too loud. “Oh, how I’ve missed my favorite grump! I just wanted to let you know that the Christmas special is really going to miss you. And that I can get you a flight back here as soon as you need it. I’ve got some big names on the line, excited to talk to you when you get back. You hear that? I’m talking Sapnap, Fundy, even XQC! I know that last one’s gonna get you excited, am I right?”

“Uh.” Corpse looked up from his feet. Sykkuno had on a soft smile, as if he knew. Corpse wondered if he did. If he understood that Corpse’s thoughts were running on an anxious loop of terror. The man probably didn’t know, but it made him feel a little better to pretend. “Yeah, I know them. Sounds like a great group.”

Dream hummed for a moment and Corpse could hear the man tapping at his keyboard on the other side of the phone. “Look, I’m going to be real with you. We’re friends, we can do that, right?” He continued without pause, “I’ve pulled a lot of strings to get you here, okay? You’re still not good enough to take the training wheels off, but I think I can get you there. We have you co-host with some big names, renew your contract in the Spring, and things are going to be smooth sailing from there. Okay, bud?”

Corpse frowned and stuck his tongue out. Sykkuno giggled behind his hand. “Sure, Dream. Whatever you say. I’ll see you after Christmas, okay?”

“Please, still with the formalities? If you won’t call me by my name, I’m going to start calling y-” Corpse hung up with a sigh.

“Sorry, shitty manager.”

Sykkuno smiled in sympathy. “I get that. I had a lot of bad jobs before I found teaching and music. Uh…” He paused for a moment and rubbed the back of his neck. “Are you… not excited to go back to L.A., then?”

Corpse shoved his phone back into his pocket with a groan. “Ugh, I haven’t decided yet. I have friends there and a good job, but I’m starting to think I made a mistake moving there. Or coming back home, I don’t know.”

“Oh!” The other man crossed his arms and leaned against the back of his car. “Well, I’m glad you came back here. It’s been really nice talking with you.”

“Wait,  _ Sykkuno, _ I didn’t mean-”

“It’s fine, really! I get it. I uh, I have to go now? Lots of dishes to wash, you know how it is.” He started back towards the driver’s side. “But hey, I’ll text you! When I- When I have some free time. Okay?”

“Sy, wait-”

“Bye, Corpse!”

Sykkuno piled into his car and turned on the ignition. Corpse sighed, stepped back, and watched the man pull out of the parking space. As he drove off, Corpse walked back to the van to join Dave.

“Corpse,” Dave started as the other climbed into the passenger seat.

“I fucked up.”

“Yeah, this isn’t what I meant when I said to go for what you want. I think this is actually the opposite of what I said.”

Corpse dropped his head into his hands as Dave pulled out of the lot.

“I’m starting to think I’m bad at this whole happiness thing.”

Dave patted his back in sympathy. “Not bad, buddy. Just out of practice.”

He could hear jingle bells ringing and children laughing in the streets as they drove by. Corpse lifted his head just enough to glare at the lights and decorations in town. Michael Bublé crooned on the radio and he sighed.  _ So much for not being a Grinch. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: Vee
> 
> Corpse! Sykkuno! What are you doing!?!?
> 
> I love Dave so much and I'm so glad we could finally get some one-one-one time with him. This was supposed to be Corpse/AOC but it kind of turned into Corpse/Dave and I'm not complaining, haha.
> 
> Off to see holiday lights now!


	6. More than you could ever know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two days left until Christmas Day...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of your encouraging kudos and comments!! We're in the final stretch :)
> 
> Enjoy!! <3

Walking down the stairs in a tight fitting suit and slicked back curls made Corpse feel like he was going to prom. He never got to, but he assumed this was a similar feeling. In the foyer, Scarra and Toast were standing in wait. Scarra had arrived in the morning and was thrilled to hear about Corpse’s upcoming date. So much so, that the man brought out a camera to take pictures.

“Oh, you look so handsome!” Toast cooed, mockery laced in his voice. Scarra clapped as Corpse reached the bottom step and half-bowed.

“So handsome,” the man said. To Toast, “Our boy is growing up!” Scarra and Toast laughed as Corpse grumbled and went to put on his oxfords. As he was tying his shoes, the two men gasped in awe. Corpse turned around and his jaw dropped, though thankfully hidden by his mask.

Rae stood at the top of the steps in a long, sparkling red dress that clung to her every curve. She had on silk white gloves and her hair was looped into a bun with a few strands framing her face. Her smile was awkward, but proud, and only grew as Scarra and Toast cheered her on.

“You two look amazing!” Scarra said as Rae climbed down the steps. “Now, get close. I need pictures! We’re never going to see Corpse dressed up like this again.”

The group laughed and Corpse pouted, but did as he was told.

“I haven't done this in so long, I’m so excited!” Rae said, clasping onto Corpse’s elbow as she smiled for the photos. Corpse had no need to, with the mask.

“Don’t you do this every year, though?”

“Yes, but it’s different with a date. Trust me! And you’re driving, so don’t even try to get out of that.”

Scarra finished taking pictures and he and Toast shuffled the two out the door with well wishes.

“Have fun!” Toast called. “Wear protection!”

Rae mock heaved into the frost-covered rose bushes as they left.

* * *

The drive up north to Redding took no more than twenty, carol-filled minutes. Their arrival was met with a light flurry of snow that fell from the sky as they walked up the front steps. The grand entrance hall was covered in red and gold velvet carpet. Massive chandeliers hung from cavernous ceilings and every window was coated in decorative ice. Each patron wore their grandest outfits, marvelling at the decor as they slowly meandered from ticket booth to theater seating. Rae and Corpse picked up their tickets from the entrance and followed the crowd through the building. They took their seats, positioned toward the right of the hall, and waited for the performance to begin.

“You know all the rules, right?” Rae asked, one brow raised.

“Uh… no clapping until everyone else does. Don't cough unless you want to be murdered by the conductor. Anything else?”

Rae laughed, “No, that covers everything. I didn’t think you’d been to a ballet before?”

Corpse shrugged and opened the playbill, idly flipping through it. “I did in L.A. My manager thought I needed to be more eclectic with my interests, so I saw a few things. Ballet, opera, off-broadway. The works.”

“Huh! Never would’ve guessed. That your manager cared, I mean.”

“Rae…”

“No, no, really.” She reached down and fiddled with one of her gloves. “I thought he was just sucking the life out of you, but you almost make him sound nice.”

“He isn’t that bad. Just… he has a lot of expectations of me. That’s all.”

Rae turned and gave him a sad look, a small wrinkle set between her brows. “I just worry you’re not doing this for the right reasons. Follow your heart, sure, but if you’re just doing this for money or fame-”

“I’m not,” Corpse shook his head, “Really, I’m not.”

“Then when will it be enough for you? Talking to all those assholes on the radio, making yourself out to be a totally different person. How fast would they throw you under the bus if it gave them a better chance?”

“Rae, stop. It isn’t like that.”

“Not yet, it isn’t.” She turned back towards the stage as the lights dimmed. “But when it does happen, we’ll be here for you.”

Corpse slumped into his seat as the curtains fell and the first notes of  _ The Nutcracker _ played from the orchestra pit. His anxiety lessened as the ballet unfolded. He only hinted at it, but had a soft spot for ballet. He missed doing dance as a kid and watching these performances felt like he was reconnecting with his childhood. A childhood that he sorely missed out on.

Clara was given the Nutcracker doll from her weird uncle and the chase began amongst the children. Rae leaned her head against Corpse’s shoulder and they watched the drama unfold, disconnected by their distance from the stage. Intertwined by the music frolicking through the halls.

As Clara fell asleep, the handsome doll clutched in her arms, Corpse’s mind wandered through the last few days.

Christmas Day - and the intimidating ugly sweater party - was coming up fast and he had no idea what to do about it. His friends wouldn’t make fun of him for showing up single, especially since most of them would be as well, but he still felt a little bad for not pulling through. Rae’s idea for tonight wasn’t even a date, she just wanted to see the ballet. He appreciated her efforts, no matter how fruitless they ended up being. There was one burning question that stuck with him, though, radiating from his jacket pocket where his phone sat on silent.

Clara woke from her slumber and the battle between the rat king and the nutcracker commenced with the song of flutes and a clatter of drums.

Sykkuno had failed to text Corpse. Yesterday, he had only put his number into the other’s phone, but didn’t think to offer his own phone. He’d been kicking himself all day for what he had and hadn’t said. It drained the house’s energy until Jack stole his phone and made him play board games with the others. It helped a little, but guilt still hung heavy in the back of his mind.

The rat king pressed down on the soldier’s sword in an attempt to overpower the other.

Corpse knew that, if he had a second chance, he wanted to take it. So many things in his life felt uncertain and terrifying and laden with anxiety. He wanted to make a choice for himself, if only once. Just so he could say he did. If he had the opportunity, he wanted to take it. What he would say, he had no idea, but even the thought was enough to make him shiver with anticipation.

Rae clung tight to his arm as Clara threw her slipper at the rat king, catching him off guard. The nutcracker jumped forward just in time to land a blow on the king. The wind instruments harmonized with the strings as the rat fell to the ground and his minions scurried away.

Two days until Christmas. Three until he had to fly home. There was no guarantee that Sykkuno would text him or that Corpse would ever see the man again. But really, was there ever a guarantee of anything? It seemed that the holiday season was a time, not just for snow and goodwill, but for opportunity.

As Clara and the nutcracker clung to each other, snow falling and tiny ballerinas joining them on stage for the Waltz of the Snowflakes, Corpse made a decision. He didn’t know if it would stick, or be swept away like fake snow under a dancer’s footsteps, but he could try. If Corpse ever saw Sykkuno again, he would apologize for all the words left unsaid. And then, if the holiday spirit granted him his wish, he would ask the other man out. If only for the smallest chance that he would receive a yes.

* * *

Rae led Corpse out of the theater, their hands interlocked. She was still laughing from the dissonance of Santa Claus coming on stage to take Clara away. The two padded across newly-fallen snow to the car, giggles rising into the night air. Rae stopped by the van and turned to Corpse. She reached up and smoothed his lapels. Her face softened with a smile and Corpse took her hands.

“More than anything,” she whispered, “I just want you to be happy. If that means being a lonely big shot in L.A., by all means, go for it. We may not be related by blood, but you’re still my little brother and I love you. Okay?”

Corpse nodded. “I love you too, Rae. You’re the best sister I never asked for.”

Rae laughed and slapped his arm, leaving him for the passenger side. The two piled in and Corpse started up the van.

“By the way, whatever happened to that cute guy you were making googly-eyes at the other day?”

“Uh… honestly, I don’t know yet.” Corpse blasted the heat and pulled away from the lot. “But something tells me it’s gonna be good.”

The moon glowed bright from behind its blanket of clouds, illuminating their drive home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Day is almost here. I'm actually going to miss this story, once it's over. Most of all, I'll miss seeing all of you cheering me on. Just a few more words, okay? I'll see you soon <3


	7. Make my wish come true

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Eve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The penultimate chapter! Happy holidays everyone, and enjoy! <3
> 
> [For your listening pleasure...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT-pGu1kLuU)

Corpse stood with his hands shoved deep into his coat pockets. The frosted window in front of him framed a miniature town, a train slowly chugging its way around the perimeter. If he leaned in and squinted, he could see a dog chasing a red truck and kids playing baseball. A woman carried a basket of bread and a man was checking his mailbox. Corpse could hear the train’s horn, muffled by the glass, as a presence appeared beside him.

“Y’know, there are actual people behind you. I know you don’t wanna talk to any of them, but…” Toast trailed off.

Corpse turned and glared at his friend. They were out shopping for last minute Christmas presents. Apparently, extra people were invited and Toast didn’t want them to feel left out. Why Corpse was dragged along, he had no idea.

“I talk to people.”

“Practice what you preach, buddy. Let’s try Market Street next.” He turned and walked off, leaving Corpse to trail behind.

They were in Redding for a greater variety of choices, but shopping on Christmas Eve was undoubtedly one of Toast’s worst decisions. The streets were crowded with patrons and lights, snow made the ground icy and precarious, and Corpse wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed. Before they’d left, Rae implied that this was his last date. She made it sound more like a threat, as if he and Toast would date to save Corpse’s life. Corpse wasn’t an idiot. He knew Toast would let him die if that was their only option. This was fine, because he would do the same.

A few blocks down the road led them to their next destination, a tiny shop filled to the brim with toys and generic gifts. Corpse followed Toast into the cramped building, squeezing past small children and protruding trinkets to keep up.

“Who’s this one for again? A six year old?”

Toast scoffed. “No, but he acts like one. I have no idea what to get the guy, so we’re just gonna walk until we see something,” he paused and waved his hand in the air, “nice. Something nice for a nice guy.”

Corpse gave the man’s back a flat glare. “Illuminating, thank you.” They stopped in front of a stack of extra-large Jenga blocks. The top towered a few feet above them and a wicked grin flashed on Toast’s face. “Toast, no. Don’t do it.”

“Corpse, sometimes you just gotta live a little.”

“Sometimes you have to avoid jail. And pissing off minimum wage workers.”

“Ah, yes, but they’re going to get paid either way. Might as well make the job fun for them.”

Corpse groaned. “You’re a monster.”

“‘Monster’ is such an extreme word. I prefer heartless.” They left the tower alone.

Store after store, the two meandered and wandered in search of the elusive perfect gift. Corpse’s feet hurt an hour in and his back hurt after two hours. He was hungry and grumpy by noon and Toast still hadn’t settled on a decision. They stopped at a busy coffee shop downtown and Corpse heaved a sigh of relief as he collapsed into a chair.

“God, this is awful. Is this a test? Are you trying to torture me?”

Toast placed their mugs on the table as he sat. “If I was torturing you, you would know it. A little coffee in your system and you’ll be fine, okay?”

“Toast. I can’t  _ have _ coffee.”

The man paused with his cup halfway to his lips. He hummed and placed the drink back down. “Maybe I am torturing you. One minute.” He got up, ran to the register, and came back a few minutes later with a mug of hot chocolate. “Better?”

“Thanks,” Corpse sighed.

“So! As long as we’re here, we need to discuss logistics.”

“Of… present shopping?” Corpse took a sip. Not bad.

“Present- what? No. Housing.”

“Uh…”

Toast put both hands flat on the table between them and leaned forward. “Look, I don’t know what’s up with your contract or L.A. or whatever, but I have a whole house and a lot of empty rooms. You feel me?”

Corpse gave an obvious glance to their hands, which were definitely not touching. “Nope, not feeling you.”

The other man snorted. “I  _ mean _ , if you decide not to go back to L.A., I’ve got room for you.”

“Toast…”

“No pressure, seriously. I’m just saying the option is there.”

“Did Rae put you up to this?”

He smirked and leaned back in his chair. “Nope! It’s all me, baby.”

Corpse pretended to gag into his mug. “Please don’t call me that.”

They finished their drinks and returned to the cold. The crowds had faded a bit, people going home or into restaurants for lunch, so it was easier to walk down the streets in search of a store. A window caught Corpse’s attention and he paused, letting Toast continue down the road without him.

Garlands and fairy lights haloed a wide, black guitar. Its beauty was offset by a creepy mannequin set up to play it, but the instrument was still immaculate. Corpse could see his reflection in the wood’s sheen and felt himself smile behind the mask. A sign in the bottom corner of the window said the guitar was handmade and its price tag made him flinch.

Toast joined him at his side. “You ever gonna tell that manager of yours to suck a dick?”

“Why are you so crass?”

“Have you met yourself? You didn’t answer my question.”

“Maybe next year,” Corpse said. He turned and walked away from the window.

“There’s always next year until you’re dead! Hey, have we tried that place?”

At two in the afternoon, Corpse was done. He dragged Toast by the arm into a random shop and went up to the cashier.

“I’ll take one.”

The person behind the counter looked up with wide eyes. “Uh… one of which one?”

“Doesn’t matter, just give me one.”

They gave Corpse a concerned look but stepped out from behind the register to collect… something. He hadn’t actually checked to see what kind of shop this was. Toast grumbled beside him and when Corpse looked, the man was poking a hanging plant. They were in a plant shop. He huffed in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose. The cashier came back with a simple house plant, already bundled up in translucent foil. They pulled a pamphlet from underneath the counter and handed it to Corpse.

“Is this okay? It’s easy to take care of, hard to kill. Just water it once a month.”

The plant, more of a sprout than anything else, looked like it could be killed with a single glance. “Uh… yeah. That’s fine.”

Toast just sighed and pulled out his wallet.

The trek back to the van was a long one. They were exhausted from walking all day, even with the short break for drinks, and carrying a potted plant only made the journey seem longer. Corpse made Toast carry it as revenge.

“Is that really all we had to get? This one gift?”

Toast scoffed and stared down at the plant as they walked. “It isn’t just one gift,  _ Corpse. _ Everybody deserves something. And it isn’t about wealth or material goods, either. It’s the fact that someone cared about you enough that they invested their time and energy into thinking about what would make your life a little better. It  _ means _ something.”

Corpse dodged around a man laden with groceries. “Right. Still, just one gift.”

“Yeah, well,” Toast chuckled. “Just one gift, yes.”

“This guy better be worth it.”

“Sure he is. And besides, you got to spend the whole day with me! Doesn’t that mean something to you?”

Corpse glared at his friend, but a ping from his phone cut off his reply. The two men stopped as Corpse pulled out his phone.

“What? We’re almost at the car, why are you stopping now?”

He stared down at the screen, a pit forming in his stomach. It wasn’t the end of the world. It wasn’t even bad. But Corpse had spent the last two days in Redding where he couldn’t accidentally run into a cute boy. Where he couldn’t mess up his dates or not say the right things or forget how to speak like a normal person. He’d spent the last two days kicking himself for, admittedly, a very simple mistake. And now, he had less than a day to make up his mind.

“Sorry Toast, I’m gonna have to dip from the ugly sweater party early.”

The other man shifted the plant in his arms, his brow furrowing. “What, why? What happened?”

“My manager moved up my flight to tomorrow afternoon. It’s that, or I’m fired.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is now the longest thing I've ever written! And there's still tomorrow's chapter :)
> 
> In other news, my cat has fallen asleep on my left arm. It is no longer my limb to keep.
> 
> See you tomorrow!!


	8. All I want for Christmas is you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas and happy new year's!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In light of the length of this chapter, I delayed it by a day. Thank you so much for joining me and I love you all!
> 
> Enjoy <3

The morning of Christmas Day brought great cheer to Toast’s home. Most everyone had stayed over the night before, so the group was up early to bake cookies and make breakfast. Those present were decked out in their ugliest Christmas sweaters. There were stripes and bad puns, memes and cartoon characters, and not one sweater had survived Michael’s glitter cannon. Corpse had opted for a black top with silver sequins in the shape of a cat head. Michael had, in turn, opted for purple glitter. Toast confiscated the cannon before breakfast, but the damage had already been done.

Jack took charge of the kitchen, leading the others like a general to war.

“Scarra, the cookies have cooled. Start icing! Felix, take the casserole out of the oven in three minutes. Edison, are you finished cutting up fruit? Lily, keep Michael away from the knives. _And_ the whisks.”

Spices and sweet scents from all genres of food filled the house. A few people had provided recipes from their family’s traditions to eat alongside the classics. Felix’s ostakaka sat by sweet potato casserole and Czech sesame buns. Corpse had made pozole the night before and Jack supplied mince pies and roasted potatoes. The dining room didn’t have enough chairs to seat everyone, so Leslie sat in Edison’s lap and Felix and Dave shared a chair.

“Okay,” Scarra cleared his throat, silencing the group. He sat at the head of the table despite Toast’s status as the owner of the house. “Due to us starting at an earlier time than planned- no hard feelings, Corpse.”

“None taken.”

“We are missing one person, but he’ll be here in time for presents. Until then, I just want to say I love you all,” he received gasps and fake crying in response, “and you guys suck. Merry Christmas and uh… dig in!”

Poki and Corpse stood in the entrance to the living room as a chaotic flurry of cleaning swarmed the kitchen behind them. Before them stood the Christmas tree they’d picked out a week ago, now strewn with flickering lights and sparkling ornaments. A bright gold star proudly sat on top with its tip just brushing the ceiling. At least a hundred presents had been stuffed under the tree and spread throughout the room. Ludwig was sitting in front of the fireplace, stoking the flames.

“Weird how our date was only a week ago. It feels like forever,” Poki said.

“I’ve lived at least three lifetimes since then. Toast’s date was its own century.”

“That bad, huh?”

Corpse gave her a pained look. “We walked for hours, Poki. _Hours._ You know what he bought? _One fucking present.”_

Poki laughed and patted him on the back.

It took a long time for the entire group to get settled in front of the tree. Scarra had to drag Toast away from his burnt cookie pan and then there was the matter of finding enough seating. A few chairs were stolen from the dining table and floor space was cleared until everyone had enough room. Corpse was squished into one end of the couch with Jack at his side. As Dave and Lily passed out presents, a knock came from the front door. Toast half stood before Rae tugged him back onto the armchair.

“Corpse! Why don’t you get it? You’re closest, after all,” Rae grinned before turning to take a bag from Lily.

“Yeah, Corpse, why don’t you?” Toast added. He smirked and leaned back into his chair.

Corpse stood. “In the spirit of Christmas, I will not smother you in your sleep.” He left the party behind and stepped into the foyer where the music and his friends’ voices were muffled by distance. The knocking came again. He checked to make sure his mask was still on before unlocking and opening the door.

A figure stood outside, framed by gently falling snow. His smile was awkward and soft, his sweater green and striped, and his voice as beautiful as the day Corpse first heard it.

“Hey, Corpse,” Sykkuno said.

“Sykkuno…” Corpse stood in the doorway for a long moment, wide eyes taking in the man before him. It wasn’t until Felix yelled from the living room that he returned to reality and stepped back. “Uh… please, come in. I didn’t know you knew Toast?”

The teacher walked inside and slipped his shoes off as Corpse shut the door. “Oh, yeah! We went to school together, so we’ve been friends for a while. He didn’t mention it?”

“He failed to enlighten me,” Corpse growled under his breath. “Uh, everyone’s in the living room. There’s extra food in the kitchen if you’re hungry.”

“Thanks!” Sykkuno chirped with a smile and Corpse felt lightheaded as he followed him back to the party.

Presents were unwrapped without much hurry. Most were gag items with no hope of seeing any use. A few were obvious regifts from previous years and the gifters, in particular Toast, received their fair share of teasing for it. Scarra had gifted all of the girls matching bracelets and Ludwig gave everyone a copy of his Christmas album. When he had the time to record it, no one knew, but Rae immediately switched out her music for the new CD. Lily gave Corpse a wink as she handed Michael his present - a bag of tiny, unlabeled canisters that made him yell in excitement. Corpse was rightly terrified, but understood what she meant.

The entire time, Corpse was aware of nothing more than Sykkuno’s presence in the room. Every time he laughed and covered his mouth, or smiled and forgot to. Every dumb joke and simple gesture. Corpse hung onto it all, terrified that he wouldn’t get another chance. A large brown package was shoved into his arms and Corpse looked up. Without him realizing it, almost all of the gifts were gone.

“Uh… thanks?” He said, staring down at the awkwardly wrapped present.

Toast spoke up from the mountain of gifts he was drowning under. “It’s from all of us, so you better be grateful.”

“Mostly Toast!” Rae added.

“Shut up.”

Corpse slowly slipped his thumb under the paper, sliding it along to pull up the tape. It came away easily. The brown paper fell to the floor and underneath was a hard case made of black leather. He knew the shape like a child knew how to draw the sun. Unless Toast was fucking with him, which was possible, this was a guitar.

He unlatched the case and lifted the top. Inside was the same instrument he’d seen the day before in the window. A black, handcrafted acoustic guitar. Up close, he could see swirls of silver engravings if he tilted it just right. He strummed it gently and the instrument hummed beneath his fingers.

“Holy shit,” Corpse whispered. “Toast…”

The man grunted. “I’m serious, it’s from all of us. Take good fucking care of it, okay?”

Corpse was already nodding, though whether he actually heard Toast was uncertain.

“One more, right?” Dave asked. He grabbed a foil package from near the living room entrance and peaked at the tag. “For… Sykkuno! Congrats on the last gift.” He passed off the obvious package to the other, who took it with a stammering blush.

“Oh- you guys didn’t have to-”

“Sykkuno, take the present or I will hurt you,” Toast said.

The teacher chuckled and pulled at the ribbon holding the plant together. “Eh- ah! A potted plant! Thanks, Toast, you really think of everything.”

“Corpse chose that one, but you’re welcome.”

“Oh!” Sykkuno turned to Corpse, who immediately tucked his blush behind the neck of the guitar case. “Thank you, Corpse,” his voice softened, “that’s really nice of you.”

“Uh, no problem."

There was a great rush to move gifts to bedrooms and recycle used wrapping paper. Jack, Felix, and Poki started on dinner while the others pulled out board games. Corpse took his guitar up to the bedroom he’d been staying in. He slipped his other gifts into his duffel bag and took one more look around. The sheets had been changed that morning, the drawers emptied, and the curtains open to let in the winter sun’s light. He picked up his bags with a sigh and returned downstairs.

As he reached the bottom step, he could hear Rae shriek from the living room.

“Corpse, no! You’re leaving already?” She ran into the foyer and he placed his things on the floor to give her a hug.

“Yeah. My manager moved my flight up for an event, so I’ve gotta go.” He gave her a tight squeeze before releasing her. When he looked up, the rest of the guests had piled into the entranceway to say goodbye.

“We’ll miss you!”

“Come back soon, buddy.”

“See you next year!”

“Send me your next album, alright?”

The voices piled over each other to be heard and Corpse smiled behind his mask at the warmth in the room. Toast stepped forward, keys in his hand.

“Your final hour. Any last words?”

Corpse snorted and picked his bags up. “Bye, bitches.” The group of friends laughed and moved aside to let him and Toast out the door. Outside, their footsteps crunched along the snow as they walked to the van. Corpse placed his things in the trunk and shut it, then paused and took a deep breath.

“Toast, wait.”

The man glanced back at him from where he stood by the driver’s side.

“You good?”

“Yeah, I just- I have to do one thing, real quick. I’ll be right back.”

He ran past Toast’s confused expression, back to the front door, through the foyer, and into the kitchen. Inside, Jack looked up from the oven. Poki and Felix were elbow deep in mixing bowls. Corpse’s desire leaned against the counter, arms crossed and in the tail end of a laugh.

“Corpse? You forgot something, buddy?” Jack asked.

“I, uh- Sykkuno, can I talk to you? Just for a moment.”

The man’s eyes widened in shock but he straightened. “Yeah, sure! Just… outside, or?”

Corpse gave a half shrug and nodded. “Yeah, yeah that’s fine.”

Sykkuno followed him out to the front porch. The snow had paused its fall and the world stilled, holding its breath. Noon light made every crystal glisten wet and Corpse’s cheeks turned pink as he turned to look at Sykkuno.

“Is… is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Corpse nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I just wanted to ask...” He trailed off. Sykkuno stepped forward and smiled. The tiny bells on his sweater jingled slightly and Corpse felt himself soften.

“It’s alright, take your time,” he said. “I mean- you have your flight, but-”

“I’m sorry.”

Sykkuno froze.

“The other day, I said I thought I regretted coming home for the holidays, but I was wrong.” Corpse felt breathless, like he’d run a thousand marathons to get here. “It feels like so much has happened and I haven’t been grateful for my friends and what they’ve done for me. I don’t want to go without saying I’m sorry to you for… for giving you the wrong idea.”

“The… wrong idea?” Sykkuno’s voice broke.

“If- If I made you think I didn’t care about my friends or you or what you all mean to me. I _do_ care,” he felt himself plead. “A lot. Do you… do you get it?”

The teacher smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah, Corpse. I get it. I think you’re a great friend and I’m glad I got to know you.”

Corpse’s breath caught in his throat. “You are?”

“I am. Maybe next year we can hang out again? I’ll try to text you before then, sorry I didn’t earlier.”

As Sykkuno spoke, Corpse felt his chest snap inside, hairline cracks splintering his lungs.

“Ah, yeah,” he rasped. “That would be nice.”

The other man reached up as if to pat his chest, but hesitated and took his hand back. “Have a safe trip, Corpse.”

“Yeah.”

Sykkuno went back inside.

* * *

The highway was quiet as they drove. Toast kept the music low and tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel.

“So…” He drawled. “I take it things didn’t turn out?”

Corpse huffed and out the window at glared the snow. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That’s it?” Toast’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “So you’re just gonna leave him behind and go live out your apathy in L.A.?”

He felt a burst of anger strike at his heart before icing over rapidly. “Yeah. Apparently that’s what he wants, so.”

“Wow.” Toast whistled. “Letting another guy make all your decisions for you. You’re pretty good at that, huh?”

Corpse growled and adjusted his mask. “Fuck off. It’s his choice to make, too.”

“It’s your choice to fight for, though.”

“Not anymore.”

* * *

The front door slammed open with a bang and the party froze. Toast stormed inside and took in the mess of board games and drunk friends in the living room.

“Sykkuno!” He called out. The teacher looked up from where he was curled up in the armchair.

“Toast…? What’s wrong?”

“What’s _wrong?_ ” He threw his arms up in exasperation. “You missed your shot! Your man! That boy is walking through airport security right now, moping his ass off and you’re in here doing the same.”

Sykkuno spluttered and lifted both hands up in defense. “Wha- what are you talking about? Why would I be moping?”

Rae pointed at him from where she sat upside down on the couch, “You aren’t denying it! You’re _in love!”_ The group of friends abandoned their games to yell in shock.

“Sykkuno, you’re in love!”

“That’s so sweet, oh my gosh-”

“When’s the wedding?”

“Name your kid after me!”

Sykkuno stood up and the room went silent, watching with bated breath.

“We- it doesn’t work like that! Corpse is very nice, but he doesn’t like me like that.” His eyes widened as he realized what he had and hadn’t said.

As the room exploded once more in theories and wedding plans, Toast threw his keys at his friend. Sykkuno fumbled and caught them, then looked up in fear.

“But what if-”

“Sykkuno,” Toast commanded. “Go get your man.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Sykkuno didn’t have any plans for the holidays. He knew his friend Toast was hosting a party and the kids in his music club were thinking about meeting up, but otherwise, he only had grand plans of cuddling with his dog and cat, Bimbus and Bingus. They were adopted siblings.

He crossed his fingers that his car would make it.

Somehow, things turned out. He met a really cute guy and nearly every day was filled with something to look forward to. The holidays tended to be like that. With everyone searching for good in their life, it only gave more reason for people to spread joy. That’s why he liked Christmas. Not because of the gifts, but because people fought for joy no matter what.

The radio blasted _All I Want For Christmas Is You_ and Sykkuno was too nervous to turn down the volume. He found himself singing along as he switched lanes.

So much had happened in one week, and yet it felt like no time at all. He was glad his friends thought about him, invited him, cared for him. He went sledding and sang karaoke and fell down a lot while ice skating. All the while, the people he cared about were right by his side.

Snow had piled up in the parking lot and he found himself missing his winter coat as he ran through the chill. A sled sounded really useful, too.

The most unexpected part of the holiday season was a complete stranger. Sykkuno had seen movies and read books and heard stories. He knew about falling in love and the elation of caring for another person. What he hadn’t expected was that it would ever happen to him. He was just Sykkuno. A teacher, a friend, a stranger in passing.

The doors slid open for him silently. The building was quiet and security lax. No one gave him a second glance as he bought the first ticket he saw at the booth before skidding through security. He didn’t even bother putting his shoes back on after passing through the metal detectors.

Oh Jesus, was he grateful. Falling in love wasn’t in the playbook, but the universe hadn’t hesitated when it gave him a gift. More than anything, he wanted to take the chance. He’d give up every gift and every dream for one more shot. He knew he would be wondering for the next twenty years why he hadn’t seen the pattern. He was a math teacher, this was his thing!

Sykkuno froze in the middle of the airport, frantically looking at each gate for a familiar head of curls. He felt his heart drop in fear until he remembered. The number was still saved in his phone, waiting for the first call.

A familiar, deep voice rang out from one of the gates, accompanied by a ripping bass line.

Really, as a math teacher, he should have seen it sooner.

The patterns, the signs, the map that led him straight to his heart.

The song ended. The crowd parted. His destination stood straight ahead, phone in hand.

“Hello?”

“Corpse,” he sighed in relief.

The man turned around and their eyes locked.

“Sykkuno...”

“Hey. Long time no see.”

He dropped his phone and ran forward. Corpse caught him in a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around Sykkuno.

“You… you came? I don’t understand.”

“You idiot,” he laughed. “I need you to know I’m really dense.” Sykkuno leaned back to take in Corpse’s shocked eyes. “Be honest, what do you want for Christmas?”

Corpse reached up and pulled his mask down slowly to reveal a shy smile. “You want me to be honest? Really and truly?”

Sykkuno giggled. His hands were wrapped around Corpse’s neck and he was shivering from the cold and adrenaline and he was so _incredibly_ happy. “Yes, yes! Please.”

Corpse grinned. “I’d really like you, if you’ll have me.” He leaned in and they kissed, soft and sweet and warm like joy should be.

“Gladly,” Sykkuno whispered into the kiss.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Champagne, champagne! Does anyone _not_ have champagne?” Leslie yelled out into the crowd of friends, laden with full glasses. A few hands went up and she passed out the drinks.

Music flowed throughout the house, a fun mix of pop and dance. The living room was covered in streams and the remnants of Glitter Cannon Part Two. Ludwig and Edison stood on the couch, karaoke mics in hand and voices as strong as their alcohol. Food was passed around alongside party poppers and noisemakers. Toast pushed the two singers off of his furniture and climbed on in their place. He grabbed Edison’s mic and held his hands out for silence, which only arrived after a lot of yelling.

“Okay, okay, okay. _OKAY!_ I just wanna say,” he slurred, “I love you guys so fucking much. Cheers to uh… to my new roommates! I will rob you of all your money.”

Rae, Scarra, Poki, and Corpse booed at him through their laughter.

“Fuck you, too! Also, to those starting their new jobs and saying ‘fuck you’ to their old ones, good on you!”

Ludwig and Dave cheered the loudest while Jack patted Corpse hard on the back, making him choke on his drink.

“Lastly and never the least-ly,” Toast swayed for a moment. Poki and Scarra stepped forward to help, but were waved off. “Thanks for crashing at my place and have a happy new year! May the countdown begin!” He jumped down into Scarra’s arms as the room applauded. Michael turned the T.V. on to Grand Park’s countdown before returning to Lily’s side.

Felix stole the karaoke mic from Toast and started the countdown. The room joined in, drunk and happy and warm. As the seconds ticked down, Corpse turned to the man at his side and slipped off his mask. Sykkuno grinned wide and took his face in his hands, looking up into his boyfriend’s grey eyes.

_Three!_

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

_Two!_

“For everything. You’re going to be amazing.”

_One!_

“With you by my side? Anything is possible.”

_Happy New Year’s!_

The world ticked over to midnight.

They kissed.

And for the first time in a long time, Corpse felt like it was his choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank my wonderful Discord server, without whom this fic would never have been started, let alone finished. This is my holiday gift to you and I hope you've loved reading it as much as I have writing it. You all mean so much to me and I'm glad to have spent the last few months with you. Here's to many more hours and thousands of words to come!
> 
> In addition, thank YOU! For reading, giving kudos, leaving comments, and completing this journey with me. Whether you've read this from the start or are just now starting, I appreciate you more than you will ever know.
> 
> Lots of love, Merry Christmas, and happy new year.
> 
> \- Syphus

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] All I Want for Christmas Is You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28389114) by [Syphus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syphus/pseuds/Syphus)




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